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Celine Huang and Cathy Xiong

AP Capstone: What is it, and is it right for you?



Students, parents, and teachers alike are all aware of Sentinel’s extensive AP course offerings. One of the most involved and possibly intimidating courses is the AP Capstone program, which takes place over the course of two years—usually in a student’s Grade 11 and 12 years. With course selections coming up, we’ve accumulated the essentials to know about the AP Capstone program, and have gotten input from this year’s AP Seminar and AP Research classes to help you decide if AP Capstone is right for you.


  1. AP SEMINAR

What is AP Seminar? How will it be different from Grade 10 English?

AP Seminar is the first half of the AP Capstone program and is composed of two projects and an exam. The first project will be based on an inquiry of your choice and contain two parts: an individual research report and a group project. The second project is similar to the first; however, your inquiry will all be individual and based on the annual theme given by the College Board.

AP Seminar heavily focuses on research rather than literature (reading and analyzing books and poetry) and language (grammar) as you were familiar with in English 10. In contrast to English 10, Seminar is highly individual. You will have—more or less—a choice of what topics you would like to explore, and a great deal of the course is set at your own pace. For some, it may be a big difference. But, remember that you have your classmates and AP Seminar teachers to guide you through.


Why take AP Seminar?

During this course, you will be building a foundation for many skills that you will need for university such as conducting and articulating your research. In the very end, ask yourself if research interests you. If it doesn’t, but you still want to take the course, weigh your pros and cons thoroughly before making your final decision this spring.


Is AP Seminar right for you?

Do you prefer a teacher-guided course, or something flexible to your time schedule and interests? Keep in mind that the structure of Seminar may not work well for some students, and that is OK! So: reflect on your work habits and ask yourself if you are going to benefit from the flexibility of the course, or if it will only impede your progress.


Advice for AP Seminar

Time management. Without a teacher constantly setting up strict due dates, it is easy to fall behind. Taking a look at the course syllabus for AP Seminar will greatly help you understand the course and the exam. And, how essential staying organized is.

Also, learn to ask for help. It may sound intimidating, but assignments can become confusing at times—especially with the Quarter system and hybrid classes. Ask your teachers for clarification and advice as soon as you can. Do not let the confusion accumulate!


2. AP RESEARCH


Congratulations! Once you’ve made it through AP Seminar, you now have the choice to complete the second half of your AP Capstone diploma in the AP Research class. The good news is that you’ve already learned a lot of the skills you will need to be successful in this course. Let’s dive into how AP Research will be different from AP Seminar and how to decide if AP Research is the right fit for you, with special input from Sentinel’s 2020 AP Research cohort.


What is AP Research?

AP Research is the second half of the AP Capstone program offered at Sentinel and is completed in Grade 12. Similar to Seminar, the course is composed of and assessed based on written essays and a cumulative presentation which is scored. However, instead of the two main projects and the final exam that comprise the AP Seminar curriculum, AP Research is centred around a single, individual inquiry for the entire year, which culminates in a written research paper, presentation, and oral defence. The main difference between the courses is that AP Research gives you the opportunity to conduct your own study and collect your own data on any inquiry topic you would like. Don’t worry though, you’ll be guided through the seemingly daunting process by Sentinel’s very own AP Research dynamic-duo: Mr. Obeck and Mr. Fuller.


Why take AP Research?

After hearing the rundown of the major tasks you will have to accomplish throughout the course of AP Research, you may be inclined to wonder: “Why would anyone take this course?” While definitely a challenging course to be balancing on top of the AP Literature and AP Language curriculums you will also be learning, the AP Research program can offer a multitude of benefits.


“AP Research is a course that tests curiosity and rewards diligence. It fosters the best of your time management skills while refining your writing abilities. I cannot imagine taking another course.” - Kyne Wang


Is AP Research right for you?

When course selections begin this spring, committing yourself to AP Research for the next year can be intimidating. When making your decision, try keeping these things in mind. Are you good at managing your time? Would you like the freedom to explore a field in-depth and independently? Would you like to expose yourself to tons of academic literature and learn with other extremely driven people? If yes, then AP Research may be a good fit for you. But even if you answered no to one or more of these questions, that’s okay! When asked, most of this year’s AP Research cohort did not enter AP Seminar thinking they would end up in AP Research, yet here we are.


Advice from current students

So you’ve weighed the pros and cons and you’ve decided AP Research is the class for you. How are you going to survive? Never fear, this year’s AP Research cohort has some wisdom and advice for prospective students. Our credibility? Let’s just say taking Research on a quarter system has expedited our learning!


#1: Starting with the obvious but possibly the most important: TIME MANAGEMENT. Your teachers have been telling you this since probably the fifth grade, but for good reason. The AP Research class is a highly individual course, and only you can take responsibility for whether your work gets done on time! Also, try and figure out how you best manage your time before you get to Research—it’s much harder to try and learn how to manage your time in the midst of the course.


#2: Research topic! Picking a single topic to explore all year can be extremely intimidating, and to be fair, it is rather important. The general consensus among the class is “Be sure to pick a topic you love or at least like to some degree—there’s no way you want to spend 8 months on a project you don’t like!” As for inspiration, it can come from anywhere. From personal hobbies to random Youtube videos to future aspirations and careers, rest assured you can make a research topic out of almost anything. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to explore possibilities before you have to decide on a single topic—you definitely don’t have to have one in mind going into the class.


#3: Reading, writing, and revising. It comes as a surprise to no one that your reading and writing abilities will be challenged in this course, and you pick up little bits of know-how along the way! Some suggestions from Research students include:

  • “Read the abstract and discussion of a research paper first! Often, that’s where you’ll find most important or useful information.”

  • “Read more. If you think you’ve read enough, you probably haven’t.”

  • “Be prepared for some tough criticism. It can be hard to hear, but it’s very necessary and ultimately helps make your work a thousand times better.”

#4: Make connections. Every year, only a small portion of Grade 12s take AP Research, and all AP Research students are in the same class for both English blocks. In the Quarter system, this means you’re with the same people every single day for half the year. For this year’s Research students, the supportiveness of the tight-knit class community was surprising yet endlessly rewarding. Between peer-editing papers, having heated discussions, exchanging resources and even simply sharing stress with other equally stressed students, we found a surprising comfort in knowing others were navigating their own equally new and intimidating inquiries alongside us.


So if you take away anything from this list, it should be this: “If you’re going to stress, at least stress with others. Read efficiently. And above all, be more specific.” No matter what English course you decide to choose or what topic you decide to study, remember that there is hope.

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